Central Districts run the risk of leaving Eden Park tomorrow without any State Championship points - and facing a $1000 bill for a slow over-rate.

When the third day of their match against Auckland on the Eden Park Outer Oval finished 14 overs short because of bad light tonight Auckland, needing 210 to win from a minimum of 150 overs, were 109 for two wickets with 100 overs offered in a full day tomorrow.

With Matt Horne leading the way with a solid unbeaten 50, Aaron Barnes 20 not out and the pitch losing much of its early life, Auckland must be favoured to score the remaining 101 runs for victory.

At the same time, Central Districts must improve their bowling rate significantly. At the moment they are averaging 14.4 runs an over. The pass-rate is 15 overs an hour (Auckland are safely above that at 16.1) and a team scoring between 14 and 15 overs can be fined $1000. A mark between 13 and 14 would incur a further $1000 fine. In the past slow-over fines were worked out over a season. Now they are scored after every game, and appropriate penalties imposed.

This will not be good news for Central Districts, especially as the game slipped steadily from their grip yesterday. They started at 142/3 wickets and David Kelly soon had his richly-deserved century, after 287 minutes of honest toil, and 17 boundaries marking his ability to drive the ball powerfully.

But Kelly was gone for 114, the total 167/4, and the CD innings never really regained the momentum needed to reach a pass-mark of 300 which would have given Auckland a stiff winning target.

The Central batsmen again fell for the Andre Adams trap, the bustling medium-fast bowler with the ability to get his sharper deliveries past the bat and into the pads.

Adams had Kelly caught and then removed Jamie How, Campbell Furlong and Bevan Griggs, all lbw to balls whipping into the pads - and all decisions to umpire Tony Hill.

Ewen Thompson batted bravely with his one good hand for 18 in a last-wicket stand with Michael Mason which was worth 26 runs, but it was too little and too late to get Central past a second innings of 267.

This left Auckland 50 overs today and another 100 tomorrow to score 210 for victory. Horne and Tim McIntosh batted with reasonable comfort to 34 before McIntosh was out, and the youngster Nick Horsley scored eight as he helped Horne lift the total to 60.

Thereafter, Horne gained new confidence as the new ball lost its shine, and he was cruising along nicely at 50 not out when the umpires surprisingly decided the light was too bad for further play - a decision which suited Auckland.

Now Central face a difficult last day, knowing that seamers may well be their only chance of snatching eight Auckland wickets, yet realising that Furlong's quick overs of off-spin might be needed to avoid a $1000 penalty.

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